Sports

What's next for disappointing Pens?

A New York Rangers fan taunts Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 24, 2015 in New York City. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images/AFP

Topics

And no, the golf course, while a legitimate answer, doesn’t count. At least not for our purposes here, anyway.

Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin-led Penguins have gone just 4-6 in playoff series, including a first-round elimination at the hands of the New York Rangers on Friday night. It’s a stat even Sid The Kid has a difficult time coming to grips with.

“I find that hard to believe,” a disappointed Crosby said after the Penguins 2-1 overtime loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. “I wouldn’t have believed it in 2009 either.”

Believe it, Sid. Because it’s true, no matter how much it might sting.

Thanks to Carl Hagelin’s winning goal at 10:52 of overtime, the favoured Rangers won the series 4-1, limiting the Penguins to just eight goals in five games. It marked the third time in the past five seasons that the Penguins have been turfed in the opening round, a stat that is sure to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the loyal Penguins fans who reside at the confluence of the Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers, not to mention owner Mario Lemieux.

New York will now face the winner of the New York Islanders-Washington Capitals series in the second round. The Caps lead that matchup 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Saturday afternoon just 50 kilometres to the east of Madison Square Garden at the Nassau Coliseum.

Interestingly, all four New York wins against the Penguins came by that 2-1 score, a fact that was not lost on Crosby.

“Trust me, the expectations in this room are highter than anyone’s,” Crosby said. “We played the top team in the league and easily could have been up in the series with a goal here or there.”

Especially with some kind - ANY kind - of contribution from Malkin.

Crosby might have a difficult time believing this, too, but Malkin was held pointless throughout the series and had just three in his final 15 games overall. His final goal of the season came on March 6 against Anaheim, meaning he would go the next six weeks without finding the back of the net.

Keep in mind that this is a former Hart and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, a remarkably skilled player who is one of the top talents in the sport.

Truth be told, Malkin has been playing through some excruciating back pain, but refused to acknowledge the injury to reporters. In fact, he issued an apology to the rest of the Penguins for his lack of production.

“I tried to do my best, but I had bad (games),” he said. “I know I didn’t show well in this series.

“I want to say sorry to my teammates. I’m a team leader.”

Asked about his ailing health, Malkin replied: “I’m ok. If I step on the ice, I’m healthy. I have a couple of small injuries but nothing big.”

We’ll give Malkin credit: He had a legitimate excuse - his ailing back - and refused to use it.

The Penguins - and GM Jim Rutherford, in particular - have some tough decisions to make regarding their roster. Pressed up against the cap, Pittsburgh actually could only dress five defencemen at times in the final month of the regular season because they had no financial wiggle room.

The future of Kris Letang, for one, seems cloudy. Concussion issues are always sensitive, so who knows what lies ahead for him.

Another blueliner, Christian Ehrhoff, has been hurt for various chunks of the season and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. So, too, will veteran defenceman Paul Martin.

Admittedly, the Penguins blue line was decimated by the injury bug. Letang (concussion), Ehrhoff (upper-body) and Olli Maatta (shoulder), arguably the top three blueliners on coach Mike Johnston’s roster, didn’t play a single minute against the Rangers.

Up front, Pascal Dupuis hopes to play next season, but his status also remains up in the air. Out for much of the 2014-15 campaign with blood clots, he’ll need to get the rubber stamp from the doctors before suiting up.

Given all this adversity, Malkin was asked if this group was close to being a “championship” team had it received some breaks on and off the ice.

“If we lose, we’re not a championship team,” Malkin said. “(Knocked out of the) first round is just not good enough.”